Orca ADN, ASN, RN

Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC

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All Content by Orca

  1. Orca

    A little anxiety applying for Nursing school as an older male

    Orca replied to Magnicious's topic in Men in Nursing

    I was 40 when I finished school, and a couple of my classmates were well into their fifties. You can still have a lengthy career in the field entering at your
  2. Orca

    Sleep Aids

    Orca replied to OfficerRNBSN's topic in Correctional

    Our official policy is not to medicate for sleep. That said, I know for a fact that one of our posychiatrists is passing out trazodone, diphenydramine, Vistaril and Remeron as sleep aids. It has been...
  3. Orca

    experienced psych nurse please chime in

    Orca replied to Isitpossible's topic in Psychiatric

    Being seasoned doesn't automatically make one right. Medicating for personal convenience is never correct. I had to report an instance of this myself when I had been an RN for less than a year. She...
  4. Orca

    What do you think about this Staff/pt ratio? Potential job offer

    Orca replied to ivyleaf's topic in Psychiatric

    Considering that I have been in a situation in which I was the only licensed nurse on an 18-bed unit, I would say that it is very
  5. Orca

    Please give advice!

    Orca replied to LisaLPN7's topic in Correctional

    This is not a safe situation. You should not be left alone with inmates, nor should inmates be allowed to congregate around the med cart in large numbers. The inconsistency of PRN pain medications...
  6. Orca

    experienced psych nurse please chime in

    Orca replied to Isitpossible's topic in Psychiatric

    If the patient was not agitated and did not pose a danger to himself or others, your coworker had no grounds to administer IM medications. This was clearly not in accordance with the physician's order...
  7. Orca

    Awesome new development at our corrections facility

    Orca replied to Two Sheds's topic in Correctional

    If one cannot talk casually among peers, then where can it happen? I see no need to be formal. Back in my correctional officer days, I worked on a psychiatric treatment unit that housed a lot of sex...
  8. Orca

    Hanging It Up

    Orca replied to VivaLasViejas's topic in Retired Nurses

    They would absolutely crap to see you walk in with the next inspection team. It would serve them
  9. Orca

    New Grad

    Orca replied to jaime24's topic in Men in Nursing

    Nursing school only gives you the basics, the framework you need to perform the job. The workplace is where you learn to actually do
  10. Orca

    Just promoted to Nurse Manager.

    Orca replied to psychRNmom2's topic in Nurse Management

    As far as working a lot of extra hours - there are very few things that are such dire emergencies that they cannot wait until the next work day. I have a colleague who has been a DON for longer than I...
  11. Orca

    Is having an ADN really a terrible choice?

    Orca replied to Guest757854's topic in Diploma, ADN, BSN

    I got an ADN due to time contraints. I had a BA in another field before going to school, so in terms of pure classwork there wouldn't have been a great deal of difference time-wise. However, the BSN...
  12. Orca

    Have you ever had an accident driving to work in a snow storm?

    Orca replied to Alnitak7's topic in General Nursing

    In my experience it always seems to be people in four wheel drive vehicles. While this gives them more traction and stability in moving forward, they can't stop any more quickly than anyone else. They...
  13. Orca

    I don't psych nurse like the other psych nurses here

    Orca replied to Umberlee's topic in Psychiatric

    It seems to me that this is condoning compulsive behavior, and it also opens the door for other patients to request similar things. It didn't happen this time, but it could well have. Once you have...
  14. Orca

    Psych nurse for 5 mos...need advice

    Orca replied to Strwbrywne's topic in Psychiatric

    First off, that patient load seems excessive if you are indeed working alone - not to mention unsafe. Mixing broadly different ages of patients is not a good idea either, and like others I have...
  15. Orca

    I don't psych nurse like the other psych nurses here

    Orca replied to Umberlee's topic in Psychiatric

    If you are too conciliatory, you could be facilitating staff splitting. If patients know that they can dodge whatever limits have been set on them by going to you, that is just what they will do. Not...
  16. Orca

    What to do with a head banger?

    Orca replied to djules's topic in Correctional

    In an instance like this, we use restraints to prevent self harm. However, this requires 24-hour medical coverage, as you cannot leave an inmate restrained with no medical
  17. Orca

    Being a Psych RN

    Orca replied to JM_RN's topic in Psychiatric

    I literally opened an adult mental health unit in the first hospital I worked in, taking in our first admission. In the beginning, many staff were afraid to come onto the unit, believing that it was a...
  18. Orca

    Should we teach unlicensed caregiver . . . . .

    Orca replied to Spidey's mom's topic in Hospice, Palliative

    Every place I have ever worked, "bonus" meant finding out that you were still on the payroll when you arrived for work every shift - unless you count the cheap trinkets they gave us for Nurses'
  19. Orca

    things said wrong that drive you crazy

    Orca replied to SDALPN's topic in Private Duty

    Or their cousins, the people who use the terms "Nazi" and "communist" to describe anyone with ideas they do not like. They obviously have no idea of the significance or true meaning of either term,...
  20. Orca

    Considering applying for nurse manager....

    Orca replied to psychRNmom2's topic in Nurse Management

    You shouldn't go into this fearfully. Not every decision you make will be golden. That is part of the learning process. Some things sound good in concept, but when implemented turn out differently...
  21. Orca

    why is the corrections facility hiring so much?

    Orca replied to luckie's topic in Correctional

    I am a DON for the Department of Corrections in a western state. We don't have a lot of turnover. Two of the last three vacancies that have occurred on my staff have been due to LPNs completing an RN...
  22. Orca

    Does psych nursing affect ur home life?

    Orca replied to ProgressiveThinking's topic in Psychiatric

    About the only effect it has on me is that I shrug over things that other people wind up about. I have a very high threshold of what is considered strange. Unlike Nerdynurse, I have always had the...
  23. Orca

    Can foot care nurses paint nails?

    Orca replied to ImRNJen's topic in Nurse Entrepreneurs, Innovators

    I thought that this might be their response. Good luck in your new
  24. Orca

    MH clinic staff in Halloween costumes

    Orca replied to Retired APRN's topic in Psychiatric

    The last thing that a hallucinating or delusional patient needs is to be cared for by someone in costume. There is also the matter of a professional appearance. I agree that this has no place on a...
  25. Orca

    Changing catheter drainage bag...Infection risk?

    Orca replied to smoddra's topic in Infectious Disease

    UTIs generally aren't caused by airborne bacteria. I don't see significantly more risk in this than in changing an IV